Inclined elevator



Dec. 216, 1961 w. STELZER INCLINED ELEVATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec.11, 1958 INVENTOR. W414 All! Dec. 26, 1961 w. STELZER INCLINED ELEVATOR2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 11, 1958 'IIIIIIII-IIEIK IN V EN TOR.

:ted tate Patented Dec. 26, 1961 1 fine 3,014,556 INCLINE!) ELEVATQRWilliam Stelzer, 4351 Franklin Road Bloomfield Hills, Mich. Filed Dec.11, 1958, Ser. No. 779,718 3 Claims. ((31. 187l2) The invention relatesto inclined elevators suitable for mounting on stairs and moreparticularly to a novel construction where an elevator car is movable ona mono-rail mounted on top of a box-like structure housing the drivingmechanism.

The object of the invention is to provide a track with a raisedmonorail, an elevator car riding on said monorail and having a platformor running board below said monorail and located to one side thereof,and a roller or wheel underneath said platform to ride on the side ofsaid track, whereby a passenger riding on the elevator is enabled tostand on the lowermost portion of the elevator car and beside the track.

Another object is to make the track of a box-like structure suitable forhousing the driving mechanism, so that the entire elevator structureconsists of a single self-contained unit that may simply be placed onthe stair.

Another object is to make the elevator car easily removable from thetrack by using the novel monorail construction and providing a flexiblemetal tape for hoisting the car instead of the usual cable, the metaltape being connected to the car only when in tension.

A further object is to provide means for arresting the car on the trackwhen the tension in the metal tape is released.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from thefollowing description considered in connection with the accompanyingdrawings submitted for the purpose of illustration and not to define thescope of the invention, reference being had for that purpose to thesubjoined claims. In the drawings, wherein similar reference charactersrefer to similar parts throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of an elevator incorporating the invention,the stairs and part of the elevator car being shown in section; v

FIG. 2, a sectional side elevation at the upper end of the track showingthe drive mechanism;

FIG. 3, a section taken on lines 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4, a section taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5, a section taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6, a section taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7, a section of the car taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8, a fragmentary section taken on line 8-8 of FIG. 6. 7

Before explaining the present invention in detail, it is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited in its application to thedetails of construction and arrangement of elements illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, since the invention iscapable of otherembodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Alsoit is to be understood that the phraseology or terminologyemployed'herein is for the purpose of description and not limitation. i

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the track I of theelevator rests on or is secured to the treads 2 of a stair 3 and ispositioned against a wall 4 of the stair case as illustrated in FIG. 3.This track includes a side wall 5, inclined longitudinal members 6 and 7spaced above and running parallel with stair 3, a cover plate 9, and arail or monorail 10. The cover plate 9 is preferably removable, but theother elements of the track are well secured together to form a rigidstructure To increase the rigidity and strength, a plurality of crossmembers 11 and 11' are tied to the other structural elements, and alongitudinal tie bar 12 secured to the cross-members 11 serves as ameans for fastening the track to the treads of the stair, as with screws14. The track I, together with wall 4 and stair 3 provides an enclosurewithin which there is sufiicient space to accommodate the drivemechanism of the elevator. In this showing the drive mechanism issimplyrepresented by a drive shaft 15 carrying a drum 16 adapted to wind up atape or ribbon 17 running over an idler pulley 18 to the elevator car 26riding on track I and provided with a hand rail 19. The drive mechanismmay also be constructed as shown in my co-pending application, SerialNo. 779,719, filed with this application, or a conventional type may beused, as it forms no part of this invention. In order to connect theelectric control circuit to the car, and to facilitate the easy removalof the car from the track, a plurality of bus bars 21 are embedded ingrooves 22 as shown in FIG. 4, and these bus bars are engaged by contactshoes 23 consisting of springs fastened to a terminal block 24 which inturn is secured to the body 25 of car 20. A bracket 27 made of orcovered with insulating material and extending from body 25 serves as astop for shoes 23 to retain them when the car is removed from the track.In the operating position as shown in FIG. 5 the shoes 23 are clear ofbracket 27. The car has two pairs of wheels or rollers 29 and 3t ridingon rail 10 and carried by pins 31 and 32 respectively, the latter beingprovided with anti-friction bearings and having one end pressed intobody 25 to be firmly secured to it. The body 25 has an apron 34 whoselower end extends to form a running board 35 with a mat 36 on which thepassenger stands. The running board acts as a cantilever and the load onit produces a turning moment about rail 10. To counteract this movementa wheel or roller 37 is mounted underneath the running board 35, andturns on a pin 39 extending from the underside of the running board toroll on side wall 5. A portion 39 of apron 34 is bent over to extendunderneath the rail It) to engage the latter if the car is lifted upaccidentally, but normally there is a clearance between extension 39 andthe underneath of rail 10. As already stated, the car is suspended by atape 17 Wound on a drum 16 to which it is fastened by a pin 13 and a setscrew 13, the end being wound around the pin and then clamped by setscrew 13'. The other end of the tape has attached to it abutting meansin the form of a hook or tooth 40 engaged by a clutch lever 41 pivotedat 42 to the body 25. One arm of clutch lever 41 is pivotally connectedat 44 to a link 45 which in turn is pivotally connected to a brake shoe46 supported by body 25 to swing about pin 47. A spring 49 urges lever41 against a stop 50 to thereby engage the brake shoe 46 with rail 10.In the normal released position when the shoe 46rests against terminalblock 24 due to the weight of the car or the load, which overcomes theforce of spring 49, the friction face 51, as seen in FIG. 6, has only asmall clearance with rail 10. Brake shoe 46 and the elements associatedwith it form a safety mechanism to arrest the car by engaging rail 10should tape 17 break. A second brake shoe 52 capable of endwise motionlimited by abutments 54 and 55 is positioned between apron 34 and theside of rail 10. The shoe 52 is made of a material having a lowcoefiicient of friction where it slides on the inside face of apron 34,and is provided with a lining 57 of a high coefficient of friction. Aresilient retainer 59 holds th shoe in place when the car is removedfrom the track.

In operation, when the drive shaft 15 turns counterclockwise theelevator car ascends, and when it turns clockwise the car descends.Normally, the safety mechanism assumes the position shown in FIG. 5,where the friction elements are disengaged. If the tape 17 breaks, thespring 49 contracts and brings shoe 46 into contact with rail 10,whereby the self-energizing action forces the shoe into full engagementas soon as the initial frictional engagement is made, so that spring 49is required to make only the initial contact and therefore can be verylight. In the locked position where the car is arrested the safetymechanism assumes the position shown in FIG. 8. Brake shoe 52 and itslining 57 are pressed against rail 18 and the end abuts against stop 54.The reason the shoe 52 is pressed against rail 10 is that shoe 46 liftscar 28 away from face 60 of rail 10 until shoe 52 is engaged. Therelease of the car from the locked position is effected by pushing thecar 20 upwardly along the track a short distance. This causes the shoe46 to swing back to the original position shown in FIG. while shoe 52slides on the inner surface of apron 34 because the friction there isless than between lining 57 and rail 10. It may even be desirable tolubricate shoe 52 where it contacts apron 34 to further facilitaterelease of car 20 from the locked position. The car may be removed fromthe track simply by sliding it upwardly until it has left the track.Nomanipulation is required to separate the tape and the electricalconnection from the car since these are connected merely by abutment andtherefore disconnect automatically. Replacement of the. car onto thetrack is made in the same way, sliding it on the track from the toplanding.

The placement of the running board at the lowermost portion of the carand the location of the supporting wheels or rollers at a higherelevation lends considerable stability to the car and makes itunnecessary to provide additional guides such as used in conventionalconstructions. The weight of the load acting on the running board 35simply biases the car more firmly onto the track. It is usuallydesirable to make the track as narrow as possible in order not toencumber the stairway; therefore, the track is of just sufficient widthto house a drive mechanism, but there is no objection to a certainheight of the track, as it would prevent a person from stepping on itwhen descending the stairs on foot. It is obvious that the stability isgreatly increased with the height of the track and the pressure of wheel37 against wall 5 is reduced because of the greater spread between wheel37 and wheels 29 and 30.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In an inclined elevator mounted on a stair adjacent a wall of abuilding, in combination, a hollow track positioned on the stair andadjacent the wall of the building to form an enclosure, said track beingof sufiicient size to house a drive mechanism for the elevator, amonorail having surfaces angularly disposed to each other and beingsecured on top of said track, an elevator car having a body, a pluralityof wheels revolubly supported by said body and arranged to ride on saidmonorail, said wheels engaging said monorail on said surfaces beingangularly disposed to each other to be guided on said monorail, at leastone additional wheel revolubly supported by said body and rolling onsaid track at a lower portion of said track to oppose lateral forcesresulting from a turning moment of said car about said monorail, saidcar being so disposed that a load carried by said car produces a momentabout said track where said lower wheel is forced against said track toresist said moment, a running board extending from said body in adirection away from said track so that a load placed on said runningboard produces a definite turning moment of said body about saidmonorail, a tape to tow and suspend said elevator car, driving meansincluding a drum within said track, an idler pulley revolubly supportedat the upper end of said track to support said tape, said tape havingone end secured to said drum and another end provided with abuttingmeans, and clutch means on said elevator car adapted to engage saidabutting means in a direction to pull said elevator car upwardly and tobe readily disengageable when the tension in said tape is released.

2. An elevator including an inclined track having walls, driving meanswithin said walls, at least one rail on top of said track, an elevatorcar having a plurality of wheels rolling on said rail and guiding saidelevator car, said elevator car having a body extending downwardly onone side of said track, a horizontally positioned running board servingas a platform on which a passenger can stand extending from said body ata substantial distance below said wheels in a direction away from saidtrack so that a passenger standing on said running board produces adefinite turning moment of said car about said rail, and at least onewheel revolubly supported by said body underneath said running board torest against and roll on one of said walls of said track so as to opposesaid turning moment, a brake secured to said body and adapted forfrictional engagement with said rail, resilient means to bias said braketo engage said rail, means responsive to the tension in said towingmeans to keep said brake disengaged, and means to facilitate thedisengagement of said brake after it has become locked due to breakageof said towing means.

3. In an inclined elevator mounted on a stair adjacent the wall of abuilding, in combination, a hollow track positioned on the stairadjacent the wall of the building to form an enclosure, said track beingof sufficient size to house a drive mechanism for the elevator, a railsecured on top of said track, an elevator car having a body, a pluralityof wheels revolubly supported by said body and arranged to ride on saidrail, at least one additional wheel revolubly supported by said body androlling on said track at a lower portion of said track to oppose lateralforces resulting from a turning moment of said car about said track, atape to tow and suspend said elevator car, driving means including adrum within said track, an idler pulley revolubly supported at the upperend of said track to support said tape, said tape having one end securedto said drum and another end provided with abutting means, and clutchmeans on said elevator car adapted to engage said abutting means in adirection to pull said elevator car upwardly and to be readilydisengageable when the tension in said tape is released.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS377,266 Naylor Ian. 31, 1888 850,136 Cole Apr. 16, 1907 1,462,741 CrowJuly 24, 1923 1,927,194 Wood Sept. 19, 1933 2,207,544 Knudsen July 9,1940 2,246,502 Bramsen June 24, 1941 2,563,260 Miller Aug. 7, 19512,832,436 Roberts Apr. 29, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 778,091 Great BritainJuly 3, 1957

